Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini
announced on Sunday that Iran would be willing to hold talks with
the five UN Security Council members plus Germany on its nuclear
issue if no preconditions were set.
Hosseini made the remarks at his weekly press conference when
addressing whether an upcoming security meeting in Baghdad could
potentially lead negotiations, the official IRNA news agency
reported.
"The venue is not the question that we lay emphasis on Baghdad
meeting," he said, adding that "we are ready to negotiate with
...the permanent members of the UN Security Council including
China, Russia, France, Britain, the US plus Germany without any
preconditions."
Iraq will welcome neighboring countries and other world powers
on March 10 in an effort to ramp up support for Iraqi governmental
efforts at stabilizing the country.
Asked if he had any recommendations for the Monday meeting of
the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors, the
spokesman said, "The solution lies in negotiations and anything
else will further complicate matters."
A senior Washington official said on Saturday that major powers
had not resolved differences over a second UN sanctions resolution
against Iran for its nuclear activities.
"Work remains to be done on a few outstanding issues, but all
parties remain committed to a second resolution in the near
future," State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in a
statement after US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and his
counterparts from China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany held
discussions by phone.
"They had a good discussion in keeping with the positive
atmosphere of their conversations" in recent days, Cooper said.
The six countries are seeking a new Security Council resolution
to place more diplomatic pressure on Iran's nuclear program.
The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Dec. 23, 2006
demanding that Iran suspend uranium enrichment in 60 days. However,
Iran has ignored this call, maintaining that its nuclear program is
for civilian purposes only.
The United States has accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear
weapons under the cover of a civilian program, a charge Iran
vigorously denied.
(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2007)
